appraisal

American  

[uh-prey-zuhl] / əˈpreɪ zəl /

Or appraisement

noun

1. the act of estimating or judging the nature or value of something or someone.

2. an estimate of value, as for sale, assessment, or taxation; valuation.

3. an estimate or considered opinion of the nature, quality, importance, etc.

   the critics' appraisal of pop art; an incorrect appraisal of public opinion.

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appraisal British  

/ əˈpreɪzəl /

noun

1. an assessment or estimation of the worth, value, or quality of a person or thing See also performance appraisal

2. a valuation of property or goods

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appraisal Cultural  

1. A formal evaluation of property by an expert, used to establish its market value.

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Other Word Forms

• misappraisal noun
• overappraisal noun
• reappraisal noun
• self-appraisal noun

Etymology

Origin of appraisal

First recorded in 1810–20; appraise + -al ²

Explanation

An appraisal is a judgment of something, especially an estimate of how much it's worth. Usually you need an expert to give an official appraisal. If you were selling a house, you'd need an expert in real estate to give an appraisal of how much it's worth — that's an official estimate of how much you could sell it for. But this word can also be used in other less formal situations that call for a judgment or opinion of some sort. If you painted a picture, you could ask, "What's your appraisal of my work?" Hopefully the answer is "beautiful!"

Example Sentences

One typical appraisal came from Truist Securities analyst William Stein, who raised his target price on Nvidia stock to $287 from $283 and kept a Buy rating.

From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026

One order directed bank regulators to reform capital and liquidity rules and modernize appraisal regulations.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

An April 2024 appraisal by real estate brokerage Colliers submitted in a bankruptcy case involving the project estimated the as-is market value of the complex at nearly $434 million.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 23, 2026

“These common contingencies — inspection, appraisal, financing, sale of the buyer’s current home, clear title, etc. — mean that backing out for those reasons is lawful and permitted under the contract.”

From MarketWatch • Feb. 12, 2026

Shortly thereafter, he started a successful appraisal company with my dayee Shahrdad, and over the years, they employed nearly every member of our large family.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

Related Words

• assessment
• evaluation
• opinion
• pricing
• survey
• valuation